Allegations that Northern Ireland's first minister was to benefit from a massive property deal have been made to a Stormont inquiry.

Jamie Bryson, a high profile loyalist blogger and flag protester, said First Minister Peter Robinson was among five people to receive a share of a "success fee" linked to the £1.2 billion sale of assets owned by Nama (National Asset Management Agency) - the Republic's so-called bad bank.

Mr Robinson, who has always vehemently denied wrongdoing in relation to the Nama deal, has temporarily stood aside as first minister to facilitate talks to resolve a political crisis at the devolved Assembly.

The DUP leader said: “I repeat, I neither received, expected to receive, sought, nor was I offered a single penny as a result of the NAMA sale.

"The allegations made today lack credibility and can have no evidential basis. The scripted performance was little short of pantomime. It is outrageous that such scurrilous and unfounded allegations can be made without providing one iota of evidence.

"I am happy to appear before the committee.”

In evidence given to the finance committee at Parliament Buildings in Belfast, Mr Bryson made a series of explosive allegations and said his sources included "whistleblowers".

The fee was to be paid in to an off-shore account controlled by the Belfast solicitors' firm Tughans, Mr Bryson said.

DUP leader Peter Robinson speaks to the press at Stormont Castle after he stepped aside

He said: "This was a success fee that was to be paid in to a dormant Danske Bank account in the Donegall Square West branch (in Belfast) and from there it was transferred to an off-shore account.

"There were to be a number of beneficiaries to this fee and I will refer to them simply as person A, person B, person C, person D and person E.